[Review] All’s Fair in Love and Cupcakes - Betsy St. Amant

Title of Book : All’s Fair in Love and Cupcakes
Author : Betsy St. Amant
Publisher : Zondervan

Kat inspected rows of the same old cupcakes. They seemed to blink back at her, as if they knew she was capable of so much more.

Kat Varland has had enough of chocolate, vanilla, and strawberry.

At twenty-six years old, Kat is still living in the shadows of her family in Bayou Bend, Louisiana. Still working shifts at her Aunt Maggie s bakery. Still wondering what to do with her passion for baking and her business degree. And still single.

But when Lucas Brannen, Kat s best friend, signs her up for a reality TV bake-off on Cupcake Combat, everything Kat ever wanted is suddenly dangled in front of her: creative license as a baker, recognition as a visionary . . . and a job at a famous bakery in New York.

As the competition heats up, Lucas realizes he might have made a huge mistake. As much as he wants the best for Kat, the only thing he wants for himself her is suddenly in danger of slipping away.

The bright lights of reality cooking wars and the chance at a successful career dazzle Kat s senses and Lucas is faced with a difficult choice: help his friend achieve her dreams . . . or sabotage her chances to keep her in Louisiana."

To be honest, I requested this book because of the title. This book has a cute title. It also has cupcakes on it and that intrigued me. All’s Fair in Love and Cupcake is basically about Kat, a girl living in a small town who has passion in cupcakes. She works at her Aunt Maggie’s bakery baking cupcakes. The problem is, she thinks that she’s trapped with the plain old chocolate, vanilla, and strawberry cupcakes. She feels that she doesn’t have room left to grow. Until her best friend, Lucas Brannen, signs her up for a TV cupcake baking competition. Little did she know that this competition would affect her in a way she never thought.

All’s Fair in Love and Cupcake is a classic tale about best friends who love each other. Lucas loves Kat and Kat loves Lucas. But they don’t know about it. This is the frustrating part of the book. They could have talked to each other. That way, they don’t have to play mind games with each other. Then again, if they did tell each other about their feelings from the beginning, this book would end in page 20 (probably).

I love the Cupcake Combat scenes. I love watching reality TV cooking competition like Masterchef, Top Chef: Just Dessert, even DC Cupcakes. So ‘watching’ a cooking competition is a fun time for me. Like typical reality TV, besides the themed baking scenes, Cupcake Combat also triggers drama between the contestants. For Kat, the drama is even more complicated with Lucas on her side.

Aside from the love intrigue, this book also talks about self-discovery. Kat is always being looked down by her family. Participating and winning the competition is a way to prove herself to the family. It’s a way out of the small town that’s been a part of her life way too long. But winning also means she could lose everything, including Lucas. Throughout the competition, Kat begins to rethink about her dream and life purpose. Is it really worth it to lose everything to be a baker.

Overall, I like reading this book. All’s Fair in Love and Cupcakes may not be the best, but it’s a cutesy book and enjoyable read. It’s a good book for those who loves fluffy contemporary.